Police quizz singer Jung Joon-young over sex video scandal

Singer Jung Joon-young speaks before he enters a police building in Seoul on March 14 to be questioned by police on charges of sharing illegally filmed sex file video files with others. [Yonhap Photo]

SEOUL -- Wearing a necktie-less black suit and a white shirt and his dyed hair tied back in a ponytail style, Jung Joon-young, a singer at the center of a sex video scandal, apologized for stirring social trouble as he walked into a police station for questioning.

"I am sorry for bothering the hearts of people," the 30-year-old said, folding his hands politely, through bursts of camera flashlights, after a black recreation vehicle set him down on the courtyard of the head office of police in Seoul.

Bearing a scared look, Jung repeatedly bowed his head, but he shrugged away a barrage of questions and walked up the stairways into the police building.

One question was about secret connections between police and entertainers. The previous day, South Korean police chief Min Gap-ryong vowed to launch a thorough investigation into allegations that high-ranking officers appeared to have watched the back of Seungri, a BIGBANG member.

Jung will be questioned on charges of sharing illegally filmed sex file video files with others, including Seungri, in the chat room of a smartphone app. He is suspected of sharing sex video files with other unidentified entertainers. Illegal distribution and filming of unauthorized sex videos provide for a maximum jail term of five years or a fine of 30 million won ($26,525).

In a statement on Wednesday, Jung admitted to all charges put on him and vowed to retire. He was the first entertainer to be investigated in a probe into a sex scandal involving Seungri, who is suspected of arranging sexual services for foreign investors in 2015.